


Warp Star Chronicles

by EelSauce



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: Ancients!AU, Both anime and game universes are combined, Eventually characters will just show up and go, Flashbacks are in this one, I don't have time to write em all, I'm sorry the kids are here, My First Published Work here, Spoilers for both the anime and all/most games, even i don't know how many characters will be in this story, why is Marx called Mark that's incredibly dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28518969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EelSauce/pseuds/EelSauce
Summary: When yet another monster from the universe comes to take over Planet Popstar, Kirby and the others are severely hurt from the battle. Ever since, nothing has been the same during recovery.
Relationships: I mean Escargoon & Dedede is my headcanon, Not that it'll affect the plot much, Oops! Sword and Blade mentions
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. "The First Attack”

* * *

As the afternoon sun gleamed down on the ocean breeze... some popped out, seething it's poison into the skies. When Waddle Doo noticed it, he consulted to King Dedede's right-hand man...

Escargoon slammed the doors open into the main throne room, sweating profusely, huffing his words out like a dog. “ **S-sire!** **Your Highness!** **There’s something you need to see!** ”

Sprung up, Dedede catapulted out of his chair to make his way toward the hallway, where he was directed to peek outside, and his eyes trembled in shock with what he saw. A darkness quickly took hold, many eyes poked it, raining down a barrage of inky, thick blobs, all of them suspended still high above the air from where they were dropped. Some were nearly level with the agape spaces between Castle Dedede’s elaborate gold window gates, or between the stone crowning of some outside balconies.

“ **What the…**! Escargoon, we didn’t order any of them _monsters_ in the past couple of years now, did we?”

“No, sire. Remember, Nightmare’s been gone for a long time… all we have is their cell-phone, and it doesn’t even work.”

Once the king realized what was going on, he scurried his way through the castle walls, until he found Meta Knight and the Meta-Knights paused incredulously on a balcony outside looking over the dreaded atmosphere. Dedede battered his hammer into Axe Knight’s helmet like a gong, alarming everyone else.

“ **Meta Kniiiiight**! Get to loosening your mask from ya head and get out there, zoi! We’re under attack!”

Turning to his men, Meta Knight now had a working plan, so he raised Galaxia, shining it in the air. 

“To your stations, men! We are preparing the Halberd for takeoff!” Everyone except Dedede scurried off, confident in their leader’s plan.

The lone knight walked in front of him, looking at the king with unsure, silvery pupils. “Sire, did your Waddle Dees get the cannons ready? We will need to lock down the entire castle _before_ these monsters come in.”

Shifting his eyes, he looked around for a shining star before he went to face him. “W-Wait, wait, wait, hold on, don’t we need Kirby to come out and help now, too?”

Meta Knight hesitated to say much, it’s true that he didn’t even know where the child was right now. He could even be captured, at this rate. Nodding slowly, he only wanted to reassure the king, not complicate things further, even though the nature of this one seemed different than the other monsters the king grew familiar with over time.

“Sire, I am more than sure he will aid us, but for right now, we need to worry about ourselves until he comes to help. Remember that we are not protecting Kirby, but yourself and the Queen. Please get the cannons ready as soon as possible, if you haven’t done so.”

Crossing his arms, he turned his head in moderate relief. Meta Knight was right, he thought, they were supposed to be _his_ knights and protectors after all- not Kirby’s! And so, he retreated back to the throne room, not even realizing the warrior was already gone behind him.

* * *

After a lively game of football, Bun ran up to a sleeping pink puffball leaning in the shade of a tree, battered in bruises from being accidentally kicked. “Hey, **Kirby**! Wake up! Somethin’ weird’s going on in the sky!” The 10-year old boy pulled the gumball’s cheeks, waking him up from his power nap, poyoing a confused poyo.

”Can’t ya see, Kirby? There’s something like a _really_ dark cloud in the sky, and I dunno if I can even call it that! You might wanna see Tiff in the castle. Call it instinct, but... maybe you got some more kicking butt to do today.”

Kirby got up, and finally noticed the strange mass in the air, and immediately he made a break for Castle Dedede, seeing all of them encircle around the castle.

Bun waved good-bye, yelling from the top of his lungs. ”Good luck, Kirby! Go tell em’ whose boss!” 5 minutes pass, Kirby is gone from sight, and Bun’s back to playing football elsewhere.

* * *

Things, guards, knights were all stomping their feet to the next destination- most of which knew with certainty they would not be able to leave from for the next couple of hours. Just as Kirby made it just in time before the main entrance to the castle locked up, he found himself next to his best friend, Bandanna Dee.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Kirby! It’s finally good to see you here to help- wait, are you familiar with what’s going on?”

Kirby shook his head, and BanDee obliged. “Well, you might of noticed there’s a lot of orbs in the sky, so the Halberd’s being flown out for the first time in like, almost forever, like when Hyness came to Dreamland! Apparently, the Halberd’s also got some new defensive improvements thanks to Susie’s technology-”

Waddle Doo screamed his tiny lungs out for a single-file formation in order to prep canons faster.

“Gah! I-I’m _super_ nervous about this, but I gotta go, go help the Meta-Knights or something, maybe Sailor Dee could make use of you. Hopefully we’ll see each other by the end of this, Kirby!”

That spear-wielding Waddle Dee dashed off into formation, only visible with his lucky royal blue bandanna that King Dedede gave him for bravery and strength.

Running over to Fumu’s place, Kirby found her looking out at the sky, as well.

”Poyo?”

”Do you think you can handle this one alone, Kirby? This doesn’t look right to me.”

”Poyo... poyo poyo poyo!”

“I know you always win! It’s just that the whole Castle is going on lockdown. It’s not safe for you to be the only one _really_ defeating them. I need to protect you, and this just looks too _dangerous_ for you!”

Walking up to the girl with an undeterred face, he poked her for his precious life force, the Warp Star.

”You still want to help anyway? Well, fine. I don’t like this one bit!” She gave him his star and stormed into her room, which Kirby was now left alone, which saddened him, but it had to wait- danger was _coming_ , and **fast**.

Activating his Warp Star, he flew into the large mass... and he realized, this monster wasn’t just any. He knew Dark Matter had _lived_.

* * *

“Are we ready to take off, Sword?” 

“We just need a bit more time, Sir Meta Knight. The engine’s just not warm enough yet.”

“Blade, are the new defense systems ready?”

“Sireye, the defense system’s need time too.”

 _“This is not good enough. We have to be online within the next 5 minutes, or we will be losing this fight_ ,” Meta Knight thought, “ _assuming Kirby has not even recognized what is going on.”_

Whirring of gears began to turn, and the Halberd’s interface sprung to life within 2 minutes.

”Sir Meta Knight, the engine’s online!”

“Good. Is the defense system ready?”

Blade scratched his head. ”Uh, Sireye, it’s online, but... it seems to be going in n’ out.”

Nodding, he had to make the tough decision, considering a contract was on the line. ”We must go on, then. I believe this ship alone can handle what is going on, we will give it time to load itself.”

Pondering as he walked, he considered another viable option as to why this was happening to his dear battleship. “ _Or perhaps, the equipment was **faulty**. I will have to see Susie about this complete failure later.”_

Motioning to his intercom, he called out to his legion. “Prepare yourselves for takeoff, we are lifting as of immediately. Ready the Combo Cannons, and everything we have in extension. I wish nothing but Warp Speed to you all.”

With that, the ceiling tucked itself in, and the Halberd spread it’s wings for launch.

* * *

Engines resounded louder than Kirby had remembered hearing before, he looked down from his platform and noticed the Halberd was flying, himself quite relieved he wouldn’t be the only one fighting in the sky.

Suddenly, a red laser whizzed by. Then another, and another. Once Kirby turned around, a barrage of them barreled towards him!

The Warp Star barrel-rolled and dived, trying to dodge as much as it could, even sweeping up a tide on the ocean. Kirby quickly swallowed some ocean water, turning himself into Water, but that did little to help deflect lasers.

Just then, he remembered what defeated Dark Matter the first time. The _Love-Love Stick_. He knew he didn’t have it, much less knew where it was, it could even be on an entirely different part of Popstar.

Dark Matter had stopped attacking Kirby and focused it’s attention on the Halberd.

So, the next best thing it was; he poked his Warp Star to a smaller size, dove into the ocean, and ate it. A bright light shined his body, and the _Star Rod_ was created; floating up to Dark Matter, Kirby was more than ready to take it on.

* * *

”Sir Meta Knight! Kirby’s flying towards us, and he’s shining real bright!”

”Good. Fall back and let him take care of Dark Matter for about 10 minutes. How are the shields going?”

”Sireye, the shields are workin’. I dunnoe how long they’ll be up though.”

“Hm. They will have to do.”

The stars outside were lined up and attacking Dark Matter, hitting them primarily in the eyes, until one sudden stray laser from a Dark Matter orb caught the puffball off-guard, hitting him straight in the face. Not letting up with the Star Rod, more lasers were being shot, which forced Kirby to defend himself with the Star Rod, deflecting as many as possible.

“Kirby’s gettin’ lobbed on all sides, Sireye! _We’ve gottae do somethin’_!”

”Not yet. He can still manage well.”

”Sir Meta Knight, are you sure? I know he’s strong, but... something’s been bugging me about this monster.”

Turning to Sword Knight, he asked. ”...How so?”

”Kirby’s not using the typical ability for this one, and his Warp Star isn’t even there.”

”That much is true, yes.”

”I’m thinking Kirby’s fought this thing before, Sir Meta Knight. He’s _never_ switched to something so powerful so quickly, and if he knows the monster is powerful, he would wanna make it leave right away, right?”

Meta Knight thought about this, shifting his amber eyes to a light green. “ _He’s right. Kirby’s definitely fought this monster before, so why haven’t I seen it? And how did King Dedede know that we were under attack despite it waiting a full twenty minutes to attack? Perhaps I need to investigate this further, as well.”_

A painful scream was heard, and when he looked at the screen, his shifting eyes turned pale white at the sight of it. 

_Kirby was shot down, bloodied and bruised, and he wasn’t getting up_. Part of the Dark Matter gave chase, and it shivered him to his core what it could do next.

“S-Sword, Blade, take leadership of the Halberd! You have the authority to evacuate if necessary, and your priority is to make sure to minimize the lost lives on the ship. Is everything understood?”

Both of them shouted, “ **Yes, sir**!”

Opening an evacuation door, Meta Knight jumped out, sucked by the wind. The door closed itself with the wind speed.

Making quick work of the air, he ripped his cape off, stretched his wings, and sped towards the falling Kirby, which was about to be enveloped by Dark Matter itself. Increasing his speed, he rammed between the connection of Dark Matter and Kirby, and went around again to catch him safely, wrapping him around his ripped cape.

An acute pain was wracking his brain, he had no time to pay attention to it.

_Everything else faded to black, and all he could hear was the sound of pounding on the cement pavement._


	2. "The First Impact"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fumu notices a lot of soldiers were hurt, but the monster was nowhere to be found. She finds the most important four men incapacitated, including Kirby.

* * *

** Fumu **

* * *

Well, this is just **great**. I knew Kirby was gonna get hurt, but... not this... **badly**. He was really burned, bruised, and had some blood here and there that needed to be cleaned up. Thankfully, Meta Knight's cape was large enough to cover him from more injury.

Meta Knight though, got the worst injuries- his mask has been scraped and chipped on the sides, a lot of burns and gashes on his arms and feet, some on his wings that _I didn't even know he had_. It looks like not many of his soldiers or anyone else that was awake knew, either. No wonder his cape was so large that he could practically wrap himself around it.

Sword and Blade also got knocked out pretty badly, too. They were the most hurt out of the crew members, so something tells me they were waiting for people in order to sink it, but their injuries paled in comparison.

Well, time to grab them some more medicine from Mom at home, I'm sure she's tired from doing all of this for them.

* * *

Opening the door, I saw Tuff watching Channel DDD, too into it to even say hello. The program that was on was his favorite- the Dedederobobotics Show, and it was just robot-monsters attacking each other, from what I could tell. Mom tiredly turned to look at me, and smiled. "Hello, Fumu. Do you need anything?"

“Hey Mom, can I have some more medicine for Kirby and Meta Knight?”

"Of course, sweetheart. How are they doing?"  
  
"They're getting better, all of them, but they haven't woken yet."

"That's good though, no?"

I really wondered if they would wake up sooner rather than later, even chuckling at that thought. "Yeah, for sure!"

Really, I wanted to say it was all for Kirby, but I had to say Meta Knight to get more for Kirby. Sword and Blade didn't have any more wounds to heal, they just needed to wake up. She left to go get some, so I sat on the couch to wait.

But for some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about Meta Knight, I think because I was angry with him, but what was there to be mad about other than the fact that he had _bat wings_ which he told no one about? Especially me, the one who is actually caring for Kirby? That just seems too suspicious, considering I don't know on what he else he might be lying about.

Mom came back and handed me what I needed, finally I was able to help Kirby get past this, at least as far as his wounds were concerned.

* * *

Sword and Blade were awake when I got back, scratching their heads.

“Hey, Fumu.” “Hello, Fumu.”

Both were talking, too. I was more than relieved, because now they can watch those two while I’m out getting stuff for them. “Thank goodness you guys are awake, let me get you guys something.”

”A-actually, we are fine. Right, Blade?”

Blade nodded, and began to walk around their room by himself. He even went up the area that Meta Knight usually sat at to read a book, just to prove it. “We’re more than fine, lass.”

Then a little, tiny nagging thought popped into my head, and it got more loud as I replayed it. _Did they know, too_?

“Well, at least tell me something.” _Why_ did I say that? That came out like something out of Pappy Potty's book; I didn't even want to say this to them, it just felt out-of-line, but... it felt... **good**.

“And what would that be?”

I was careful not to be too angry, so I thought closing my eyes would do the trick, but all I could feel was my heart sink. I really went too far, didn't I? “W-Well, did you guys know that Meta Knight had wings?”

They looked at each other before they could give me an answer, and Sword put his head down for some reason.

"Lass, we..." Blade paused, putting his hand underneath his... face? Chin? I didn't know what it was.

"We did know quite a long time ago, way before we even made it here."

I don't get it then, why didn't he tell me? He could've saved Kirby numerous times, and been there for him when I couldn't. He was close to Kirby, but too far to be his actual parent.  
  
 **Wait**.

 _A father_? Is that why he's not willing to help all the time? He doesn't want to be a father to Kirby?

Blade spoke, but I didn't get to hear what he said. Then, he shook me, and my brain came back to the two knights.

"Are you okay, Fumu? Yae look stressed, and more thana you should be." He had me by the shoulder, a firm grip that held me off from faceplanting the floor.

Deciding on the brave face this time, there wasn't much to think about right now, just more questions than I had real answers to. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just was thinking about something." 

Sword had his head up now, I must of missed that. "You know, Fumu," He walked toward me, looking me dead in the eyes. "This level of obsession for Kirby isn't healthy, and you know that. As for why Sir Meta Knight hasn't taken Kirby in... we have _no idea_ , either. We are just as baffled as you are that you're practically his mother. Er..."  
  
He began to look down again, so clearing this part must have been hard for him to think about.  
  
"...Blade and I were thinking of talking to him about it, but... we're scared, too. It's like asking him to put down his whole lifestyle down just for Kirby- and don't get us wrong, he would make a nice father, but we don't think he's ready to leave that life of war yet. If he was, he would have disbanded us a long time ago."

 _Yeah, I need some rest after all of this._ "Then can I ask for you guys to take care of those two for a little bit? I haven't gotten much sleep, to be honest..."

Blade sprung up. "Of course! We'll let yae know when these two are awake once you've rested. Thank yae for your hard werk, Fumu."  
  
Sword murmured lightly, still loud enough to acutely hear. "We... wouldn't really be here without you caring for us."

I felt myself smiling at that thought, and with that, I headed off, leaving the medicine on the table for them. "...I know. I'll see you guys later."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know the first story was third person for the reason that it has a looooot going on, but most of these chapters for now will be ((character-based))! This is just a little taste of what you get when you really delve into someone's head, and honestly, this really is the best part for me! Oh, and yes, this'll result in smaller chapters, that way I can pace myself out, but that would of happened eventually if not now. 
> 
> Fumu/Tiff was one of the most upsettingly flat characters for me in the anime (and she was smart enough to be better, too!), especially that scene where she sat at the fountain, alone. It could have been one of the best scenes of the anime, but it just fell on the contrived "the pen is mightier than the sword" cliche that just seemed too predictable, and at the same time, all the more stranger when I went back to it years later. 
> 
> To keep it short, it could've been the make-or-break moment of Fumu as a character, and I really think by giving this arc to her, I can really flesh out her character and do her justice even more than the anime did, maybe even 16 times the detail!


	3. "The First Intermission"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sword and Blade are on the job caring for Meta Knight and Kirby until they can wake up and move around. Noticing something odd, they begin to investigate what happened when Meta Knight had left the Halberd.

* * *

Blade and I had an important task, but a rather simple one, which mainly consisted of keeping Fumu in a calm and alive state, keeping Kirby alive, maintaining leadership, and Sir Meta Knight relatively protected if he needed backup. But, this is the first time that I've seen Fumu like this... and that worries me. She clearly can't be Kirby's mother, _right?_ She'd lose everything that made her a kid in the first place, the sole reason we warriors exist is to protect girls and boys like her, _right?_

...Maybe it's best to leave this alone, Sir Meta Knight isn't even awake to be hear this.

"Is there anything strange on the both of them, Blade?"

"Aye, there's some weird rock on Sireye's forehead. It's hard to get off im' with my hands."

A rock? It looks just like... _maybe_ part of the monster we saw earlier, it looks dead and some just happened to get on him. I doubt it's anything major... and looks incredibly disgusting to remove. "I'd leave it alone, Blade. Doesn't seem to be doing much to him either way."

"Would it kill you if I said I didn't believe ya?"

I was baffled, but considering that there were many unusual things going on recently, I didn't blame for thinking otherwise. "...No? Why, what's wrong?"

"I'm gonnae poke it with my sword."

"Wha-"

Blade took out his basket-hilt broad, and used the tip to mess with it... nothing happened.

"Hm. It's stopped."  
  
"Blade, do you mind telling me what you're doing? You're going to give Sir Meta Knight more damage than he needs right now."

"I think this thing's keepin' Sireye _asleep_."

_Well, I certainly wouldn't have been the first to guess that answer._

"Are you mad? What kind of 'medicine' have you been taking?"

"Naw, nothin', it's that, ever since we've been woke, that piece's been movin' slightly. I've seen it. It only stopped cause we're both lookin' at im'. And even then, Sireye's eyes have been closed, he's tremblin' all over, not even feeling cold to the touch. We shouldae asked Fumu if he was like this the whole time."

He sounds like he was right, and I can understand what he's saying this time, so I went along with it, playing Dedede's advocate. "Assuming you're right, my dear Blade, and if it isn't just your eyes, what direction do you suppose this rock is taking?" Now that I think about it, _d_ _oes Blade even have **eyes**?_

"It's goin' down to his face, and yae can see that when ya look at the bottom part of it, it's tryin' to take off Sireye's _mask_. I dunnoe if it can see well, cause' if it did, it'd be headin' towards the open space over his eyes."

"...So you're saying to take off his mask just to prove this theory? We've only seen him without it so many times, I don't think he'd take kindly to us invading his privacy if he wakes up."

"Yeap, I don't care this time 'round, I'm takin' his mask off to do my _job_. If he don't like it, he'd tell me so, but he's asleep. Lock the door just to be safe, and if it flies off, get yer short ready." I'd never seen a nature of a monster like this before other than the one we just fought, and if it isn't one, well... I guess that just makes us two _incredibly_ dumb people. And if Blade was fine with then, then I was. Moving one of Sir Meta Knight's arms, he found the latch fairly in a matter of minutes, it almost looked embarrassing to watch.

Once the mask was removed slightly, I closed in, but still too far away for the rock to recognize I'm looking at it. Blade had flinched, and seemed to bolt his left hand on top of Sir Meta Knight's face, preventing the rock from moving forward. Something broke when it fell, and it sounded metallic. " **Sword**! Get over here- it's tryin' to make it way towards Sireye's _mouth_!"

Oh god, it _was_ that same monster! How the hell did it get there without Fumu knowing?! It even grew a red eye, and it glared straight at me!

"What are ye _doing_?! **Stab the damn thing, Sword**! It's not gonnae stay in me grasp **forever**!"

Slicing it's eye (albeit quite brutal to call slicing it that), it gushed out red ooze while it's body withered away, slowly. Blade managed to get it out of Sir Meta Knight's face now, and he wrapped it in a cloth with some rope to keep it from doing anything else.

"Whew, that was close." Breathing a heavy sigh, I sat down on the floor, to see Sir Meta Knight's mask completely broken in more places than before, but still intact. I passed it over so Blade could put it back on, not feeling I could do it myself before _he_ woke up.

"You're tellin' me, mate. I thought I was gonnae get shot by one of those damn things! Heh."

* * *

Moments like these is why I stay and deal with Blade, to be honest. He's incredibly brave, cool, and doesn't take much from anyone else, only from people he really respects. Plus, he's saved Sir Meta Knight and I plenty of times, more than I can count right now. I kind of hope one day, he'll respect me like I do him, and... _maybe_ we can be more than just knights.

Peering over, it looks like Blade got a good look of him before thinking to put his mask back on. "...Sireye really does look _a lot_ like Kirby, don't he?"

"Yeah, he does. It's no wonder he hides his face under his mask, right?" Finally deciding to get up, I had placed the necessary medicine for both Kirby and Sir Meta Knight, but the ration was fairly small to apply to everything fully.

"I'd be laughing me ass off if he were my apprentice or somethin' like that."

I turned to him, looking for a conversation to be had, because clearly Kirby was sleeping fine aside from the injuries he's got. "For sure. Hey, do you think they are related?"

"Related? By _blood_? I don' think so. Maybe by looks." He shrugged.

"Whatever it might be, being a puffball must **suck**. You'd get made fun of all the time if you were taken seriously if you _didn't_ wear a mask all the time!"

"Mmm. And the other stuff that comes along with it."

"What stuff, Blade?"

Clearly there was a grumble before he spoke, but commenting on that would have been petty enough. "I've seen his kind before in larger numbers on a galaxy or two before I met ya, but _never_ across planets; of em' were on boards with some luxury items, or even clothing. Others, weren' in the best situation, some captured, but I didn' help em' because I thought em' too _weak and small_. Sireye changed me on that front... quicker than I thought."

Right, I forgot about that part. It's been so long since I've been in a city area that I forget there are people like us that are adults. Considering everything, apart from the giant-monster-of-the-week, Dreamland is relatively free of crime, minus the one guy who keeps robbing places, getting caught, and then getting out of jail. It was just naturally peaceful, and that's one thing I'd miss about this place.  
  
Just then, someone gasped for air. Was it Sir Meta Knight? We both got in stance, looking over him. 

"Sword? Blade?" It was clearly his voice.

"Yes, Sireye. We're here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, when you're looking up names for swords that you don't even know, you miiight wanna cross-reference. I was mistaking the broadsword with the cutlass while writing this, and even then I was confusing the basket hilt broadsword with the broadsword itself, because when looking up the broadsword, I found myself looking at a sword that looked like Sword's sword instead of Blade's. It's all very confusing, but thankfully visuals (and Uncle Google) helped me figure out what was what and I compared it as best I could to the anime designs, because the swords were the most... designed? Thought-out? I'm not sure. (Plus, Sword and Blade look way cooler than in their current game forms.)
> 
> Speaking of designs, Sword's variant in the games has been used less and only available sometimes when you play Metaknightmare, or as an enemy. I wonder if he just is that hard to render, but that's not saying much considering Star Allies' Blade Knight just looks like... err.. you know what? Nevermind.


	4. "The First Thought"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight becomes conscious, granted, with a few screws loose. He's being caught up on what had happened, and it doesn't feel good for him to find Kirby still in an indefinite coma.

* * *

_Mostly everything was fog, and what I did remember was painful. I could faintly hear a voice, but nothing was made out._

_But to say that I feel terrible is absolutely wrong. In fact, I feel **stronger** than I have for quite a long time, but my body... I cannot move._

"Sss.. i... re... ye?"

_That sounds like Blade. Glad he had made it._

"Ssir...?"

_Both of them made it in one piece, so either they were able to retreat safely, or they defeated the monster._

_I think I will rest a bit longer._

* * *

A large, familiar grey puffball stood in front of me in the dark void of my mind, his voice was just as callous, his eyes just as silver as they were before. He lowered his dark, clipped-to-the-base wings to reveal his scarred face; he looked... different, and his previous weapon is nowhere to be seen. His polished crimson shoes clanked on the floor, until about 2 meters away.

"Copy. Get up, you fool."

_Seems his power-hungry smile never faded, either._

My body only barely moved itself, but never stood up. But knowing this voice, it's probably in a position long nearly forgotten. "For what?"

"Your training's today." When I could clearly see him, it was Sanzei Knight, here to mock me.

"I have not trained in _hundreds_ of years."

He turned around fully, and walked ever closer, his smile turned into one of anger. "Doesn't matter, you do today. Seeing you like this as I am nearing death... is enough of an embarrassment!" Whatever grip he had on me, I could not feel. Clearly this monster was trying to manipulate me to do something. How especially unfortunate.

"...Why are you here? If you are here to just make fun of me for my lack of a training regiment, you can leave."

"Copy, you will need to do stress-testing for something called Dark Strength. As you are made of negative matter, you will automatically have Dark Strength within you, however, you have seemed to gain more..."

"I know this already. Why are you telling me this again? I have passed these tests before."

"You've never used it since, so I had thought you forgot. Just by grabbin' ya, your body is so _weak_ it can barely wake itself, heh." He released and kicked me just to be able to turn me around.

"Dark Strength simply makes my blood boil. It fails to represent my true power."

"Then where do ya think all of your abilities comes from? Out of your ass? Look, Dark Matter ingrained some of that extra Dark Strength it had while trying to possess you. Your friend saved ya by removing it before it got to your insides. So... if you wish to get up, control it better to get stronger."

_Dark... **Matter**? There is such a being with that energy? That could explain why Kirby wanted to eliminate it fast... but..._

"The monster that had invaded...?"

"Invaded... _where?_ I couldn' hear that last part." He tried to clean out his... _orejas_ as a show of faith. His gloved index finger was now a murky yellow.

"Dis...disregard what I said. You mentioned something about getting stronger?"

_I wasn't going to just reveal my location like that to him, he has proved to be quite tenacious, and even more ruthless than myself in terms of fighting in the past. It would only be a small matter of time before he would find a ship that could travel space, and come here himself. The only differences are that I am better, and that I am more... benevolent- stood by the rules, one might say._

"In order to get stronger... you need to transfer the Dark Strength within your body to your heart. That way, once your heart becomes stronger, every other muscle will-"

"Yes, yes, muscle mass increase. A matter of science.”

Sanzei Knight had scoffed, nearly grabbing his new weapon. It seemed to look like a hilt of a sword. "...Have you forgotten who is the master here?”

"A long time ago, I put that side of me away for no one to see,"

"...And it has been **thousands** of years since I have said the word ‘master’. All I have, are physical reminders of it.”

Stepping back, he was surprised, distraught by what he heard. “Why? It is who you _are_. No matter how much you try, you will still be a monster and a shell. Your purpose was merely that- to destroy.”

_I may be a monster, but I feel I have done much to save planets from the grasp I’ve previously held._

“I feel like I should mention... there is already something that exists to replace you, me, and possibly whatever else remains. It is just out of our hands. That is why I am suggesting you to train yourself to your own damn benefit.”

_What?! A stronger being?!_

“Ah... now by all odds, I’ve got you interested. **Finally**. Being less... _draconian_ than usual, I will ...uh... _disregard_ the disrespect you have shown towards me, and give you information. Information, of course, that you clearly need... for a price. This being is one-of-a-nonillion, and it's power is immaculate- the only of it's kind. A vessel to absorb mass amounts of Dark Strength and any other energy, and it uses it's nearly limitless power to traverse universes and does... something. Must be for a good reason. Maybe to consolidate power?”

_This cannot be good. By now, Nightmare's leftover forces may have left over a third of the universe in ruin. If they were to add this one, then..._

“Train with Dark Strength- control it, then retrieve an invention that may be held very dear to the Ancients, and render this being useless that I tell you of. Despite their ability, I wish nothing more but to destroy it. It pains me to know it is the one fighting..." His voice lowered to a murmur.  
  
"And...what exactly is this item?" 

"Another day, that will be disclosed. I will be back... or prepare yourself to see another invasion of another universal scale that I'll lead, _no matter how long it takes_ , copy. Underneath my hand, there are many powerful foes at my command now." That indisputable smile came back, more carnivorous than ever.

Vanishing out of thin air, he left me in silence for what seemed to be an hour. But, this brought a lot of insight. Dark Matter seems to be a powerful entity made of Dark Strength, and _something else_ to maintain the form it has. No wonder Kirby had been so quick to the draw, I should have _known_ to protect him...! How could I have not known about this?!

It is time I do something about it, even if the king doesn't like a word of it. This is bigger than him. Kirby could have died, and his death under my conscience would... not... not be something I dare think about.

_...Is he alive?_

* * *

I found myself coughing awake, realizing now that I am back in my quarters. Both of my men were watching me keenly, holding me still on each side.

"Sir Meta Knight!" "Sireye!" "Are you okay, Sir? You were acting quite strange while you were asleep!"

"Was I, now?" I don't believe I will tell them right now what I had learned, this needs more time to sink in.

Blade tried to speak to me as best he could. "Yeah, ye were bein' 'ttacked by a piece of that black sludge. Tried to climb in yer' mouth, but we stopped it before it could do 'nything else. Sorey that uh... we hadda take yer mask off, it's badly damaged 'cause of the poundin' of th' ground ya took. Nobodey else was here, an' then we put it back on ya. But evn' when we took it off ya, you were shiverin' an' ya weren' evn' cold!"

“The large dark mass, what’s it’s status?”

“We don’t know. It took down the ship by the wings, it’s still largely intact but it will take some time before it’s operational again. The Meta-Knights are working on it as we speak. As far as we know, it may have left.”

 _This is good, we have borrowed time to prepare again for it._ "Mmm, is Kirby all right?"

"Kirby's alright, Sir. He's got some nasty bruises and some burns, but with the medicine Fumu and Ladylike gave, Kirby'll recover soon. But... he's been unconscious for quite a while, and hasn't eaten in days, neither have you. He's right here if you want to see him."

Once I stood up and began to get myself to walk, Sword rushed towards me to carry my left side. "Sir, take it easy! You've gotten the most damage out of all of us, and you aren’t the quickest to recover!"

"Do not worry. I cannot feel a thing." In part, it was true, but my feet as I stood were burning as they moved against my shoes. Once I got close enough, I, for the first time, reached my hand to the child's cheek.

Shuffling alongside me, he tried to give an excuse to not mess with Kirby and his sleep. "We tried a little to wake him, but no luck. Maybe it'd be best to-"

I pulled that boy's face is if it were a bedsheet, and let it go against him. It seemed these men did not try hard enough to wake Kirby up, because his eyes opened right in front of me. "Kirby, you need to get up. Sword, Blade, I need a minute with the boy. I will call you two back when necessary."

"Yes, Sir!" both of them hailed, and walked out without question, closing the door behind themselves.

When I brought my attention back to Kirby, he was fast asleep. 

"Goodness..." My eyes could practically feel their color changing.

I could not fathom what to even say, much less come up with a plan. Slowly, I turned to a box that I could get a better look at him with. Once it was in place, I better able to assess the damage. It seems that he got some scars, too... this... this did not feel like an indisputable victory; this was a convincing **loss**. Him being injured is not something I can rely on anymore if I did not want to be the last Star Warrior, and helping him directly would have to become possible regardless of what happens... I cannot rely on the second-rate monsters Dedede has sent in the past, or even planet-terrorists like Dark Matter or Star Dream. They will become stronger as they begin to survive, much like viruses, and that _creature_ Sanzei Knight spoke of is likely going to be one of his final tests, assuming he is trained efficiently. My hands trembled as I further examined his injuries, noting it will probably take a couple days to heal completely.

"Kirby, are you awake?"

Slowly, he responded with a nod.

"I am going to help you. We are going to win this fight against Dark Matter, and you won't have to worry about it any longer. It is going to be hard on you, but I believe you can do it, like many things you have done before. We can do this, but you have to be strong alongside me, then I will become stronger with you. Understand?"

Just then, the boy did something unusual. It affected me, in some way, I don't know how it did quite yet. I cannot place it, but... it felt warm, with a sense of pride, and... the rest of it. He smiled quietly, his sparkling eyes partially opened, and decided to hold my hand. Deciding to let him keep my hand, I spoke further to hide my... joy? Only Fumu can imagine what this feeling is.

"And I guarantee once you are ready, we will go to space and learn, perhaps take on a challenge or two... namely, Dark Matter is among them."

Nodding once more, he turned and fell back asleep. With hesitation, I loaned him my cape to rest with until he feels well enough to stand. Calling back my men, it was time to file some orders of business that I haven’t gotten to in a long while.

And that starts with the king, Susie, and Fumu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: (I guess I'm doing this schtick now.)  
> The preferred VA to read this as is Eric Newsome, but any of the others is fine, too. Out of the three main "official" voices, the English Dub was my favorite for a long time until I ran it again at one point and all it did was just make me embarrassed to watch it again, cause it seemed more apparent that Eric Stuart was straining. Now, it's Eric Newsome. 
> 
> Though, don't get me wrong, it's definitely more creative than the Japanese VA (he's done the work for both the anime and Smash Bros.), who oddly enough make him sound much younger, like around his mid 30's. The others very clearly went older for some reason, which make it really hard to pinpoint his true age... 
> 
> So the age-old question is, what is Meta Knight's age(?), and I tell you, he's most definitely in his 30's, but not past that. He does not train nearly as often as he used to, so his power and abilities are significantly weaker than they would be which is why usually Kirby gets the credit and gets smacked real easy by Masher- but he still likes a good sparring match when he can get one in (which is never). His voice does not necessarily mean he is older, it just so happens to be deeper, almost comical. Goooood night everybody!


End file.
